Dave Darrin's Fourth Year at Annapolis eBook

“It wouldn’t go up with a noise like that,”
murmured the lieutenant to himself. “These
tungsten lights don’t explode like that, except
when rapped in some way. They don’t blow
up, when left alone. At least, that is what I
have always understood.”

So the puzzle waxed and grew, and Lieutenant Adams
found it too big to solve alone.

“At any rate, I’ve questioned all the
young gentlemen about the window episode, and they
all deny knowledge of it,” Lieutenant Adams
told himself. “So I’ll just report
that fact to the O.C., and at the same time I’ll
tell him of the blowing up of this tungsten light.”

Two minutes later Lieutenant Adams stood in the presence
of Lieutenant-Commander Henderson, the officer in
charge.

“So you questioned all of the midshipmen who
might, by any chance, have entered by a window?”
asked the O.C.

“Yes, sir.”

“And they all denied it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you see signs of any sort to lead you to
believe that any of the midshipmen might have answered
in other than the strict truth?” continued the
O.C.

“No, sir,” replied Lieutenant Adams, and
flushed slightly, as he went on: “Of course,
sir, I believe it quite impossible for a midshipman
to tell an untruth.”

“The sentiment does you credit, Lieutenant,”
smiled the O.C. Then he fell to questioning the
younger discipline officer as to the names of the
midshipmen whom he had questioned. Finally the
O.C. came to the two names in which the reader is most
interested.

“Darrin denied having been out after taps?”
questioned Lieutenant-Commander Henderson.

“He did, sir.”

“Did Mr. Dalzell also deny having been out of
quarters after taps?”

“He did, sir.”

Lieutenant Adams answered unhesitatingly and unblushingly.
In fact, Lieutenant Adams would have bitten off the
tip of his tongue sooner than have lied intentionally.
So firmly convinced had Adams been that Dan was about
to make a denial that now, with the incident broken
in two by the report of the tungsten bulb, Lieutenant
Adams really believed that had so denied. But
Dan had not, and had Dave Darrin been called as a
witness he would been compelled to testify that Dan
did not deny being out.

The explosion of the tungsten bulb was too great a
puzzle for either officer to solve. A man was
sent with a new bulb, and so that part of the affair
became almost at once forgotten.

Dan finally fell into a genuine sleep, and so did
Dave Darrin. In the morning Dave sought out Midshipman
Farley to inquire to whom the doughface should be
returned.

“Give it over to me and I’ll take care
of it,” Farley replied. “Say, did
you hear a tungsten bulb blow up in the night!”